


Why D'you Keep Me Around?

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Play Along [10]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M, M/M, band au, musician au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 17:24:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7231831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: "Stargate Multiverse, Rodney McKay, Rodney gains some perspective when he learns about a tragedy in John's past."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why D'you Keep Me Around?

After the ten-minute break the photographer gave them (during which John and Ivan-Evan-whoever made lots of phone calls), Elizabeth called the photographer, there was loud discussion, and the photographer agreed that he had enough photos from their jam session and they could go home for the day.  
  
Of course, John no longer had a home to go to. By some unspoken consensus, everyone - including Ivan-Evan-whoever - piled into the Puddle Jumper and headed to Ronon's house, where they set about clearing out one of the guest rooms for John to stay in.  
  
About two hours into the task, some uniformed movers arrived with boxes containing John's things, and then Teyla and Jennifer were helping John triage his belongings (keep versus storage) while Rodney and Ivan-Evan-whoever helped Ronon triage the stuff out of the spare room for the same reason.  
  
At the end of the day, John laid out a pretty penny for a storage locker for his and Ronon's stuff, and the spare room looked stark and bare, save for John's three guitars on stands and a Johnny Cash poster on the wall.  
  
"Stay as long as you like," Ronon said.  
  
"Thanks." John smiled tightly.  
  
Ivan-Evan-whoever was on his cell phone yet again, ordering food for everyone, including the movers (who would take everything of John's from his father's house straight to storage tomorrow).  
  
"Are we even going to practice tonight?" Jennifer asked in a low voice.  
  
John shot her a look. "Of course we are. That was the plan, right? Instead of the photo shoot we moved boxes, but we're still on time for practice."  
  
"Are you sure?" Teyla asked.  
  
John nodded. "My mother's already dead. Not going to quit the band a second time." The others winced.  
  
Ronon frowned. Before he could say anything, Ivan-Evan-whoever announced that the food had been delivered, but he couldn't stick around. He grabbed a sandwich, wished them good luck at rehearsal, and left. For a guy who was a glorified secretary, he drove a really nice car. Rodney watched it zoom away, gleaming in the setting sun, and wondered how he hadn't known, all these years.  
  
After everyone had eaten, Ronon went to show the movers out, Teyla and Jennifer went into the garage to set up - it was a short job, as the garage was a permanent rehearsal space by now - and John went with Ronon to tell the movers what to do when they got to his father's house.  
  
Rodney was left staring at the pile of balled-up sandwich wrappers, still feeling odd and disoriented. Everything he'd ever thought about John Sheppard wasn't a complete lie, was it? Okay, so John hadn't abandoned the band for nothing. Well, maybe nothing. He should've stood up to his father back then, since he was obviously capable of it now (no, that wasn't logical, that didn't follow). And no matter how sad it was that his mother had died, that didn't excuse his multiple moments of stupidity in their AP math and science classes through the rest of high school. And it certainly didn't justify him breaking Jeannie's heart like he had (okay, they'd been teenagers, and Jeannie was really no worse off for the experience; she was resilient).  
  
A sudden and insistent ringing jolted Rodney out of his rumination. He cast about, confused, and then he saw it. John's cell phone.  
  
The name flashing on the screen was Dave. John's brother. The one who'd disowned him just as much as their father had.

Rodney scooped it up, but then John came skidding into the living room.  
  
"It's your brother," Rodney said. "You don't have to talk to him." He clutched the phone tightly.  
  
John held out a hand for it. "You're a little late to the Sympathy for Johnny game aren't you, Rodney?"  
  
Rodney pressed his lips into a thin line. "He disowned you," he said.  
  
"Being a genius doesn't mean you know everything," John said, and Rodney handed over the still-ringing cell phone.  
  
John unlocked it and turned away. "Hey, Dave. Yeah, thanks for letting them get my stuff. Tomorrow? That'd be great. I bet Dad won't even be there anyway."  
  
He certainly didn't sound angry. But then John didn't get angry easily. Maybe he should have been quicker to anger sometimes. That way Rodney would have known about his mother, wouldn't have been insensitive about what was going on in his life when they were still in school (he wasn't Mr. Sensitive, no, but he had enough capacity for sensitivity and empathy to maintain a long-term relationship with Jennifer, thank you very much).  
  
"No, we talked about this. It's better this way. No point in him being mad at both of us. Oh, I'm sure he's in with the attorneys right now, rewriting his will. Doesn't matter. I haven't touched a red cent of the money Mom left me. The interest alone will cover my needs. And with the band taking off, I promise I'll be okay. He was right, though. It's not fair to make you lie, and I'm sorry, but it's for the best. Anyway, I better go. Rehearsal."  
  
John hung up, pocketed his cell phone. He turned to face Rodney once more. "You asked me once, if I'd give this band a hundred and ten percent. I guess you have your answer."  
  
Teyla called for them from the garage.  
  
"Be right there," John called back, started for the garage door.  
  
"John," Rodney said.  
  
He paused, turned, eyebrows raised questioningly.  
  
"I'm sorry about your mother."  
  
"Thanks, Rodney." John actually sounded sincere. He turned to go, and Rodney couldn't help but follow and wonder what else about John Sheppard he'd missed over the years.


End file.
